Woman victim of police violence: $3.7 million in damages

It's been a long fight for justice for Ruby Johnson of Denver, Colorado. The 78-year-old was taking a shower on January 4, 2022, when a special police force surrounded his house. The pensioner was asked with a megaphone to leave immediately as security forces ransacked the house. Despite being cold and wearing only a bathrobe, Ruby was held in a police car for hours.

The raid was in vain, it was a false alarm. On Friday, a court awarded Ruby Johnson $3.76 million (equivalent to 3.32 million Swiss francs) in damages. According to the jury, Denver police violated the woman's rights that day because officers lacked “probable cause” to do so.

What happened? Earlier in the day, an SUV owner lodged a complaint with the police. The man said his vehicle was stolen from the hotel parking garage. According to him, the SUV contained six guns — including a tactical military rifle — two drones, $4,000 in cash and an iPhone 11. The man further told authorities that the “Find My iPhone” app was nearby and I traced Ruby's location. Residence.

This was enough to obtain a search warrant from the responsible public prosecutor's office. The next morning, dozens of SWAT officers in full gear stood in front of the pensioner's house.

However, during the search, they were not very careful with Ruby's belongings: among other things, the police smashed her garage door, a valuable collectible toy and smashed household items. After several hours they left – found nothing.

The traumatic event had serious consequences for the 78-year-old: he developed health problems and eventually had to leave the place where he had lived for 43 years. The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU for short) sued Denver police on behalf of the victim. According to the civil rights organization, officers did not have enough evidence for a search warrant and used excessive force during the search.

On Monday, the ACLU announced the victory in a media release. “This is a small step toward justice for Ruby Johnson, but it's an important case under our state constitution that confirms for the first time that police can be held responsible for entering a person's home without good reason,” said ACLU Legal Director Tim McDonald. .